In devices which combine mechanical moving parts and electronic control circuitry, such as electromechanical timepieces, there is a requirement for accurate sensors to sense the position and/or motion of rotating mechanical parts. For wristwatches having a rotatable setting stem, for example, an accurate and responsive sensor is required to detect the instantaneous angular position and/or rotation of the setting stem so that the watch-wearer's preferences can be converted quickly and accurately into electronic information which can be used by the watch's electronic control systems. Particularly in the field of wearable timepieces, it is important to maximise the accuracy and speed of such sensor, while minimising the power consumption. In addition, the small-scale nature of components such as the setting stem of a wristwatch means that rotation/motion sensors must be able to detect tiny movements of a tiny object, for example the rotation of a stem having a diameter of a few tenths of a millimeter. The sensor components must also themselves be small, since space is limited. Such sensors should preferably be contactless in order to reduce wear and thereby extend the serviceable life of the timepiece. The sensor components should also be easy to manufacture.